Our Heart's the Dice
by WolfyMagician
Summary: When Oogie's "soul" bug takes over an empty corpse, he is revived as a handsome young man to rival Jack. Still weak, he is saved by an unsuspecting Sally, who takes him in. But will spending time with her and Jack change his motives? JxS OxS one-sided.
1. Chapter 1

**Our Heart's the Dice**

**Chapter 1: Introduction**

* * *

Several theories surround the complicated subject of afterlife. In fact, there are too many to name. Some haven't even been discussed yet. Others are just too unusual.

But one idea—one that almost nobody has ever considered—consists of simply letting your soul and corpse fall, _slowly_, farther into the grave and under.

No, not the Underworld.

Not even hell.

_Halloween Town._

Silly? Maybe.

_Once you fall into the darkness_  
_Your life does not end there._  
_Go on, I say, into this black mess_  
_The fun is everywhere!_

A figure plummets downwards.

When it finally hits the ground, it does not move.

It does not stir.

No sound comes out.

A rare case.

_Stand, my good friend, and join me_  
_We are sure to have a ball._  
_That is, if you and your body_  
_Is complete with a little soul._

A carcass.

Usually, a dead body would join the Halloween world, but there would also be some sort of _spirit_ still inside. That way, they could still walk over to join the Town's residents and be fully accepted into the undead community.

In the rarest of situations, only the _body_ falls and the soul is left somewhere else.

_Now_ is one of those times.

_Come now, the graveyard seems closer_  
_The town near it is farther away._  
_Be careful, you don't want to bother_  
_The one who almost stole Christmas Day._

So the body is still.

It waits for something—or some_one_—to find it.

Luckily, it does not have to wait for very long.

_At last, we have reached the steel gate,_  
_It won't open unless you are ready_  
_To leave your past and swallow your fate._  
_Be gone, you have time aplenty!_

Crawling with only half of its cut-up legs, a small green bug enters the mouth.

_The body now has a soul._

* * *

**A/N: I don't know, I just felt like writing something...**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Nightmare Before Christmas.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Dice**

* * *

Sally frowns in concentration.

Picking up on the mental debate that has been going on for the past hour in her mind, she begins to slowly trudge onto the path leading to the graveyard.

As of now, her problems remain as such: what to do about her fiancée's constant lack of sleep. She can easily pick some Deadly Nightshade and put it into that night's dinner (given that it only be in small amounts) so that Jack would finally be able to get the rest he deserves after countless of sleepless nights.

But...maybe he _won't_ really appreciate being sedated (_poisoned is a harsh way of putting it_, Sally thinks) into sleep.

What to do...

The gate creaks open, sounding oddly louder than usual. The young rag-doll quietly makes her way towards the small patch of land that holds several types of plants, ranging from innocent herbs to poisonous flowers. She kneels on the ground as she expertly picks several leaves of Deadly Nightshade (something she is all-too familiar with), carefully checking that she avoids the harsher looking ones. From experience, she knows the size and shape actually _do_ influence its strength.

As she finishes, a low moan echoing through the evening sends a chill down her metal spine. Her hands begin to shake and she drops the stems. But curiosity has always been her weakness; it is something Doctor Finkelstein regrets creating her with.

_"Curiosity killed the cat, you know," _he tells her everyday.

Well, she _is_ undead, so she can't possible die again, now can she?

With that, Sally abandons her "gardening" and proceeds to cautiously approach the source of the noise. By now, the sound grows louder and much more heartfelt. Her heart hammers in her chest at this. She only realizes that she has strayed deeper into the graveyard than ever before when her foot gets caught on a large crack on the dying grass. Surprised, she squeaks a loud _"eek!"_ before falling down. The moaning stops immediately, and Sally's breath seems to catch in her throat.

_What now?_

Her eyes want to look up, yet her mind screams at her not to unless she wants to see something that will scare her to re-death. After all, nobody _is_ around to help her. She is too far away from town.

"Who's out there?" A scratchy voice barks out, startling her. Wait..._is_ she alone?

"I am," she calls back against better judgment. Gingerly attempting to rise, Sally pulls her foot off when it proves to be an issue. Besides, that is not her biggest worry at that moment. "Is something wrong? Where are you?"

"Don't come closer!"

"Why not? You sound hurt..." As she says this, the voice seems even nearer, pushing her forward. She walks to the direction of that sound, only to stop in front of a large headstone. She is sure that this mysterious person is somewhere behind it. So, unthinkingly, she peers around to check.

Her first reaction is to gasp.

It is a he. A really_ good-looking_ he.

Jet black hair falls messily around his pale-white face, with his longs bangs blocking his eyes from view. His jaw seems tense, as if he's clenching it. He is sitting against a tree trunk across from her, but she can tell that he is pretty tall. Lean and slender, too.

He looks up and she meets his shocked gray eyes. _"YOU!"_ he yells furiously, frantically forcing himself into a standing position. Alas, given his current condition, he only manages to tumble, face-forward, to the cold ground. Just as he prepares to feel more pain—like he hasn't had enough already—something soft cushions the fall. Eyebrows raised, the young man looks down and finds that Sally lies below him, full of concern in her expression. It takes him another moment to register the fact that his head rests on her breasts, and that their position is simply questionable from a distance.

Blushing, he sits upright (off of her, of course) and looks away. "What is wrong with you?" he snaps. After all, he_ is_ Oogie Boogie. This is Jack's lady, the one he almost boiled in his stew. Why isn't she running headfirst to town shrieking that he's back? And why did she have such _nice_ boobs?

Scratch that thought.

"Uhm...I'm confused here," the said-woman tilts her head to the side slightly, rising to her feet. "What's so bad about helping you?"

"Don't play dumb. I know you're just_ aching_ to get back to that bone-head. Go right ahead, d'ya really think I'll be able to get away like this? _Go_!"

"I really think you're mistaking me for someone. And I can't just leave you here by yourself! Look at you—you're famished, alone, cold..." she trails off, narrowing her eyes, as a memory of running away and being in that exact position clouds her mind. Except that time, nobody helped her...

_'This poor man doesn't deserve that same fate!'_ she tells herself indignantly.

"Come with me."

"Are you crazy?" Besides, the Boogie Man _never_ accepts help. No, he_ orders_ and gets _what_ he wants_ when_ he wants. Otherwise, he's as good as asking politely like everyone else in that stupid town, and he prides himself for being different. _Duh._

"No, I'm pretty sure my mind's stable." Sally smiles gently, crouching down so they were eye-level. Oogie rolls his eyes, mentally thanking whoever gave the girl enough _sense_ to keep her legs _together_. That dress leaves him too many opportunities to sneak a possibly _inappropriate_ glance...

"I doubt that. Look at who yer talking to!"

"Who _am_ I talking to?"

That stops him.

And suddenly, he remembers.

Lost. He had lost that night to the gangly Pumpkin Jerk-face, who had enough nerve to pull his seams apart. All his bugs, the ones that look him_ centuries_ to collect and nourish, had scattered, either to their deaths or freedom. The 'head' bug was squashed by that fat lobster-man, and everyone had assumed that was it.

_Wrong._

Saint Chubby destroyed the bug that told the others what to do. He did _not_, however, kill the bug that held the Boogie Man's soul, which basically had all his memories and mind stored safely inside. It had taken almost a _year_ of aimless wandering before Oogie found a body to control—the body he was using now. But the bug had been starved and battered, so naturally, changing bodies did nothing to help that. In fact, he had gotten even weaker. How did he even_ get_ into the graveyard from out _there_ in the first place?

No matter.

He has returned, and everyone is _clueless_.

_Perfect._

"You don't know who I am!" Oogie cackles evilly, momentarily forgetting his pain, and he punches the air in triumph. He reaches for his dice but halts himself. There hasn't been any dice available since his apparent defeat. Darn it.

"I-I don't. Erm, my name is Sally, by the way, mister...?"

"Dice. Call me _Dice_, doll-face."

* * *

Thirty-seven hours of non-stop work causes Jack to wonder_ how_ in the Underworld did he ever_ think_ that Halloween is a bore. Surely something that requires so much _work_ and constant _attention_ is anything but boring! Maybe _tedious_ is the word.

Either way, he has finally finished today's assignments and some of tomorrow's work, so quite honestly, he is more than ready to get several hours' worth of a good night's sleep. If at all possible, he hopes he can doze off for half the next day...ah, wishful thinking...

Grinning tiredly, he climbs the steps to his front door, happily enjoying the sight of his house. He's actually home _before_ midnight...

The first thing that greets him when he crosses the threshold is his wonderful pet ghost-dog, Zero. He seems extremely pleased to see his master, at the very least, and floats up all the way to Jack's face to lick the side of his cheek. Well, that's a first! He misses him that much!

"Oh, excited to see me? You haven't done that since you were a little puppy! I've missed you, too, Zero!" Jack laughs appreciatively, petting his dog's small, translucent head. He considers pulling out a rib for a quick game of fetch, but vetoes the idea when he remembers that his beautiful fiancée is probably waiting for him at this moment. "Where's Sally, boy?"

Yapping contently, Zero turns his head so his bright pumpkin nose is pointing in the direction of the large living room. Jack nods in understanding, and motions for the ghost to follow.

"Sally? Sally dearest?"

"The couch, Jack!"

"Ah, of course. How are you, my lovely—?"

"'Sup, bone head?" Oogie, comfortably on the black, leather sofa, reclines against one of its arms and waves mockingly to the suddenly-frozen Pumpkin King. "Put on a couple o' pounds, eh?"

_"Dice!"_ Sally reprimands from her position next to him. She glances meaningfully at her love before facing her 'friend'. "That's Jack Skellington, our _amazing_ king! This is his house, you know."

"Psh. I know everything about _His Kingliness_."

"Who—who are you?" Jack doesn't know which bothers him more—a stranger speaking to him like they're the best of friends, or the fact that the same guy has Sally _fawning_ over him. Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but it_ is_ still disturbing all the same.

"Oh, yeah, you have no idea. I'm the Boog—I mean, Dice. Heheheh." Oogie snickers and changes his attention to the young rag-doll. "Get me a pillow, Toots."

"Say please," Sally reminds him, her tone of a patient mother teaching her stubborn child manners.

'Dice' flinches at the word, but otherwise mutters a very reluctant "please".

Satisfied, the rag-doll hurries up and leaves the room to fetch a pillow, but not before beaming lovingly at Jack. Taking advantage of her absence, the skeleton offers a hand to their guest.

"I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself properly. Jack Skellington, as my lovely lady said. But please call me Jack."

"Okay then."

"You said you were Dice?"

"Yup."

"Interesting name. I see you wanted to change it quickly."

"What is_ that_ supposed to mean?" Oogie raises an eyebrow; surely Bone-Boy doesn't_ know_?

"Er. I mean, you changed your name already, you know, from your name in the mortal world."

"Oh."

"Heheh. Yes. Ah, how _exactly_ did you die? I now remember Mayor telling me a new resident is coming. I must've forgotten it was today."

"So you're _forgetful_? Not a nice quality for a king..."

"Huh? No! I just meant it slipped my mind..."

"You drop things, too? Man, and you're supposed to _rule_ this place?"

"Here's your pillow, Dice!" Sally calls cheerfully as she re-enters the room, completely oblivious to the hostile atmosphere. She positions the cushion behind her new friend. "Comfy?"

Oogie smirks, relishing the fact that Sally's breasts are once again close to his face, but this time, Jack is there to see it. _"Very."_

"Sally! I wish to speak to you at once!" Jack, without waiting for a reply, grabs his future wife hastily and leads her to the kitchen, away from the Boogie Man (although he doesn't know it).

Sally looks up at Jack, horrified, placing her hands on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I know I should've asked you before I took him in. But—but he looked so _lost_ and _alone_! I felt so bad for him—he was hungry and cold, too—and I didn't want to leave him in the graveyard—and—"

"Shh, shh. No, I'm not mad. Please don't cry, my love, I could never disagree with you." He pauses thoughtfully, licking his lips slightly. "I am, however, curious as to why he seems to dislike me and why—ah—he is very..._friendly_...around you." A bony hand soothingly strokes her face and she calms down. Being Sally, she is not aware of the meaning behind Jack's words.

"He doesn't! Dice—he needs to adjust, I think. He didn't like me at first either."

"Really now?"

"Yes...I swear, he acted like he _hated_ me...But he'll change, I promise!"

"Mmm. Oh, alright, I'll take your word for it." He slowly kisses her then, with a large grin against her lips. It feels just as amazing as their first.

"So can he stay?" Sally sighs when she can breathe again. She relishes these moments, and her arms act of their own accord as they wrap themselves around Jack's neck.

"I guess so. He'll be in the guest bedroom, I suppose." _'Farthest away from ours,'_ he adds in his mind. The last thing he wants are unnecessary _interruptions_ at night…heh.

"Thank you so much, Jack! I'm sure we'll all get along great!"

"I hope so, dearest. I hope so..."

* * *

**A/N: Hahahaha, Ooogie's a perv! Geez, him and Sally's chest...**

**Yeah...**

**I still don't own the movie...*sigh***


End file.
